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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
3.5 stars
This was really fun! I listened to the audiobook and I really liked the narrator which may be coloring my review. The only issue I had with the book was that chapter 2 was extremely long and told from another character's perspective and it was honestly kind of a boring chapter. But after that it was great, so that chapter felt very out of place. I would have rated it 4 stars, but since that chapter was so long and this book is so short overall, I knocked off half a star. I'll listen to the next book in the series.
This was really fun! I listened to the audiobook and I really liked the narrator which may be coloring my review. The only issue I had with the book was that chapter 2 was extremely long and told from another character's perspective and it was honestly kind of a boring chapter. But after that it was great, so that chapter felt very out of place. I would have rated it 4 stars, but since that chapter was so long and this book is so short overall, I knocked off half a star. I'll listen to the next book in the series.
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was an unexpected favorite of the year so far! My favorite line: "What use was it having all that money if you could never sit still or just watch your cattle eating grass?" (162).
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This book was my favorite years ago. I’m so different than I was in high school though, I wondered how I would like it. Especially knowing it was written by a white man.
I can’t comment on how realistic a depiction of Botswana it is. It still feels lovely and quaint, maybe a romanticized version of Botswana.
All these years later, it still feels like comfort food to me.
I can’t comment on how realistic a depiction of Botswana it is. It still feels lovely and quaint, maybe a romanticized version of Botswana.
All these years later, it still feels like comfort food to me.
1) Libraries that shelve these books under Mystery have not read them. The PI's case is a subplot.
2) I read somewhere that the subplot of Mma R.'s first husband was added after the book was written, because the publisher thought it needed...something. To me, it's obvious that this subplot was tacked on. It is not in keeping with the character, the tone of the book, or the rest of series.
2) I read somewhere that the subplot of Mma R.'s first husband was added after the book was written, because the publisher thought it needed...something. To me, it's obvious that this subplot was tacked on. It is not in keeping with the character, the tone of the book, or the rest of series.
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
A nice cozy mystery set in southern Africa (mostly Botswana).
Audiobook narrator Lisette Lecat is excellent. Five stars for Lecat.
Audiobook narrator Lisette Lecat is excellent. Five stars for Lecat.
adventurous
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I first read this book many years ago, maybe even as a teenager, and remembered it as a low stakes "cosy crime" type novel. It still fits that description for me now, though there are some serious topics thrown in which are jarring from the general vibe of the book (content warning for rape). I lived in Botswana for ~4 years so I'm struggling to disentangle my opinion of the book itself from a lot of positive feelings of nostalgia. It is definitely a simplistic portrayal of the country, and very basic in writing style and plot, but it was generally an enjoyable and easy read that brought back some memories. I would like to know how Batswana feel about the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Child abuse, Child death